Michigan

Aaron Miller became an ace for the Great Lakes Loons in 2009, winning the first playoff game in Loons playoff history. He returns this weekend, trying to restart his career as a left-handed hitting outfielder.
(Chris Fryer | The Saginaw News File)

MIDLAND, MI — Some of Aaron Miller's greatest moments as a baseball player came on the mound as a Great Lakes Loon.

But three years removed from his success as a Loons pitcher, Miller has returned, this time batting fifth and in right field.

Miller, the Los Angeles Dodgers' first-round pick in 2009, has changed positions after four seasons in the minors as a pitcher.

"To me, it's not really a change," Miller said. "I'm just going back to what I was. Before the Dodgers drafted me, I was never really looked at as a pitcher.

"It got to a point where there were some injuries ... core injuries ... but that wasn't why I wanted to make the change. My heart just wasn't in it anymore. I wasn't totally committed to pitching, and if you're not totally committed to something, you're not going to be successful."

Miller was always considered a hitting prospect. The Colorado Rockies drafted him in the 11th round of the 2006 draft as an outfielder.

The 6-foot-3 left-hander chose instead to attend Baylor, where he became one of the better hitters on the team.

"I was preparing myself to play outfield professionally," Miller said. "I pitched, but it wasn't a lot. I didn't really see myself as a pitcher."

In his final season at Baylor, Miller hit .310 with 12 homers and 47 RBIs in 186 at-bats. As a pitcher, he was 4-4 with 73 strikeouts in 56 innings.

The Dodgers saw a 6-foot-3 left-handed starter with a strong arm and potential.

He fulfilled the Dodgers' expectations almost immediately with the Loons. He was sent to Great Lakes toward the end of the 2009 season and went 3-1 with a 2.08 earned run average in seven starts. In 30 1/3 innings, he struck out 38 and walked 10.

Miller also etched his name in Great Lakes history, winning the first playoff game in Loons' history, 7-2, over the West Michigan Whitecaps. Miller allowed no runs, two hits and two walks over six innings, striking out nine.

But Miller's pitching career stalled in Double A Chattanooga, where he was 7-12 with a 5.03 ERA in three seasons.

"I met with (Dodgers assistant general manager player development) DeJon Watson a couple weeks ago, and we made the decision," Miller said. "It was always something they were thinking about, something I was thinking about. After I said I wanted the make the switch, they were all for it."

Miller becomes the oldest player on the Loons. The position switch moves him back to the starting line with his current Great Lakes players are.

"This is where I want to be," Miller said. "I have good memories here. I don't have a problem with coming back here. I have to pay my dues. I'm starting over."

Entering Saturday's game against Dayton, Miller was 0-for-5 with a walk as a Loons' hitter. At Chattanooga in 2012, Miller hit .297 with two doubles, two triples and a homer.

In Chattanooga, there is no designated hitter when a National League affiliate is the home team.

"The coaches saw me as kind of a secret weapon," Miller said. "Now, I'm ready to commit to hitting and the outfield fulltime. I'm kind of rusty right now, but I am comfortable doing it, more comfortable than I was as a pitcher.

"Right now, I'm not even tempted to pick up a baseball to throw it. I wasn't enjoying it. I'm just here, trying to prove myself, just like everybody else here."